Who Was There- Me or Me?
by AliasCWN
Summary: During a layover to resupply, Troy and Moffitt try to follow the trail of the privates around the base. But what are they doing?


**Who Was There-Me or… ME?**

By: AliasCWN

"It's been a long patrol." Sam Troy told his drivers as they pulled into the base to resupply. "We have to report in and get our temporary sleeping assignments. After that the two of you can have the rest of the day off. Just make sure that the jeeps are ready by 0900 tomorrow."

"Thanks Sarge. That should give us time to resupply and service the jeeps in the morning before we leave." Hitch cocked an eyebrow at Tully to see if he agreed with the plan.

"The motor pool looks pretty busy right now anyway." Tully shrugged with a look around. "A night off sounds good."

Hitch beamed happily and parked his jeep out of the flow of traffic until their return. Since this wasn't their home base, the men were required to report their presence and they would have to get rooms assigned to them for their brief stay.

"Who is the officer in charge here?" Moffitt asked as he stretched his cramped muscles.

"I don't remember," Troy admitted, "but I'm sure we won't have any trouble finding him."

As a group they crossed the base, getting directions from someone they passed to find the headquarters building.

Troy approached the corporal sitting at the desk in the long hallway. "The Rat Patrol to see Captain Harding."

The clerk looked up in surprise. "The Rat Patrol?"

"The Rat Patrol." Troy repeated. "Sergeants Troy and Moffitt. Privates Hitchcock and Pettigrew."

"Is the Captain expecting you?"

"No, he isn't," Troy explained tiredly, "but we just arrived and we want to report in and get some room assignments." He slapped the dust from his clothing and straightened to face the corporal. "Is the Captain busy?"

The Corporal looked flustered for a minute before he pulled himself together. "I don't know Sergeant, I'll have to check." He continued to stare at the four dusty men before him.

"Do you think that you could do it sometime this week?" Troy asked with sarcasm. "We just came off an eight day patrol and we could use some sleep."

With a start the Corporal jumped to his feet. "Right away Sergeant, I'll check right away."

"Good." Troy nodded with satisfaction. "Go!" He added as the Corporal stopped again to stare.

"What's wrong with him?" Tully asked as the Corporal vanished down the hall.

"Must be new." Hitch guessed.

"It looks like the base just got a new batch of troops. The streets are full of guys with nothing to do." The privates looked at Moffitt with tired smiles and waited for him to make his point. "I'm just saying that everything looks crowded. We'll be lucky to get a room assignment."

Just then the clerk returned to usher them into Captain Harding's office. Troy made his report and the Corporal gave them room assignments. The privates were assigned to a room in one building while the sergeants would be sharing a room in the next building. As the four of them separated to go to their rooms Troy paused to warn his drivers.

"Stay out of trouble tonight."

"We'll have one beer and then just check out the base Sarge." Hitch promised.

Troy and Moffitt made their way to their room where they cleaned up and took a nap. The door opened and closed quietly but they didn't hear it. When they woke up, they went to the next building to wake the privates. Troy knocked on the door but didn't receive an answer. He pushed it open to find the room and the beds empty.

"I guess they are out enjoying their day off." He told Moffitt as they stepped out into the hall. "How about we eat and maybe go have a beer ourselves?"

"Sounds like a plan." The Brit answered, leading the way to the mess hall. Both sergeants looked around while they waited in line but there was no sign of either private.

Finishing their meals, they pushed their way through the crowds waiting to eat and found a spot outside to sit and have a cigarette.

"Shall we see if the lads are having that beer now?"

"Why not." Troy agreed with a shrug. "There are two bars in town, which one do you want to try first?"

"Knowing Hitch and Tully, the closest one." Moffitt answered with a smile. Feeling more relaxed than they had been in over a week, the two men slowly made their way to the first bar.

Troy led the way in, followed by Moffitt. As they crossed the room the crowd fell silent in a flowing wave. The further into the room they went, the further the hush extended. Both sergeants looked around uneasily.

"Is that them?" A hushed voice asked from across the room.

"It has to be." Another voice whispered reverently. "Nobody else wears hats like those"

The sergeants halted, eying the crowd that had parted to give them a clear path to the bar.

"Are you the Rat Patrol?" A third voice asked shyly.

"Who's asking?" Troy turned to face the speaker.

"I'm Pfc. Tony Baxter, Sergeant. I've heard of you guys. My friends and I have been hearing stories about you guys ever since we landed in North Africa. It was a real honor to meet your other two guys earlier."

"You meet Tully and Hitch?" Moffitt asked with amusement.

"Sure, they were in here drinking. I bought each of them a round. Did you really do all those things they said you did?"

Moffitt smiled at the excited private. "I guess that would depend on what they told you."

"See, I told you they were making it up." A fourth soldier declared.

"Just what did they say?" Troy asked curiously.

Baxter proceeded to repeat every story he could remember. Each one was more outrageous than the last. Troy was hanging on to his temper by a thread by the time they said good-bye to Baxter and his buddies.

Once out of the crowded bar, they paused to breath in the fresh air.

"Those darn fools know better than to draw attention to themselves. All that hero worship must have gone straight to their heads." Troy growled.

"It doesn't really sound like them when you think about it."

"Even after a half dozen drinks?" Troy demanded. "They said they were only going to have one."

Moffitt shrugged, wisely keeping quiet. "Where to next?"

"The other bar I guess."

This time they made it all the way to the bar without being recognized. Troy ordered drinks for both of them and they found a space along the wall to drink them. With all the new troops waiting to ship out, like the first one, this bar was crowded to overflowing. There was no sign of either private, but as they stood there, they heard their names mentioned. The sergeants listened as one soldier gleefully detailed how the two privates had been central in starting a brawl earlier in the day.

"They were telling all these stories and someone called them on some of the details. The next thing I knew there was a brawl spilling out into the street." The speaker declared. "I got out fast before the MPs arrived."

Troy frowned into his drink. "Well Doctor, do we bail them out or let them spend the night?"

Moffitt waited, knowing that the question was a rhetorical one.

"Let's go." Troy sighed, moving to the bar to deposit his glass.

Half an hour later found them once again standing in the street discussing their options.

"At least we didn't have to bail them out." Moffitt observed with a touch of humor.

"So they managed to get away before the MPs arrived." Troy growled. "Where are they?"

"The jeeps?"

"I doubt it. They said they were going to take care of them before we leave in the morning."

Moffitt considered what he knew of the base. "A poker game?"

Troy smiled. "Maybe."

They found a poker game without a problem. Apparently it was a badly kept secret. When they arrived the first thing they did was ask if anyone had seen the privates.

"Yeah, they were here." A rough looking sergeant muttered around a stubby cigar. And they aren't welcome back. Everything was going fine until they started losing, then they got belligerent." The sergeant looked up from the game to glare at Troy. "You need to keep a better eye on those boys, can't either one handle his drink."

Troy frowned; he had never seen Tully visibly drunk. "Did they say where they were going when they left?"

"Yeah, the motor pool. Said they wanted to go look over their jeeps. The dark haired one said that they had these special jeeps to drive. Made a big deal about it."

"Dark hair?"

"Yeah, that's Pettigrew, right? Hitchcock is the one with the blond hair?"

Troy looked at Moffitt in surprise. "Thanks."

"Tell them not to come back, they aren't welcome." The sergeant ordered.

"Oh, I don't think my men will bother you again." Troy assured him.

"Dark hair?" Moffitt repeated as they walked away. "Now that really doesn't sound like Tully."

"Yeah." Troy agreed. "The motor pool, huh? Why don't we go see if we can catch those two before they get into any more trouble?"

A mechanic told them that the two privates had checked out the jeeps from top to bottom before heading back toward the bars. Troy noticed that the supplies had still not been replaced. They thanked the mechanic and hurried after the drunken privates.

They caught up with them in the first bar they had visited. Pfc. Baxter was just returning from the bar with drinks for the two privates. "Hey guys, look, your sergeants are back!"

The two privates, who were the center of attention, turned at the announcement. Seeing Troy and Moffitt, they turned white and then red. Troy was tempted to strangle them so they could add blue to their complexion too. Instead he stopped right in front of them and smiled. They twisted nervously in their seats.

"Hello Privates. We heard that you joined our outfit." Troy's smile threw them off.

"We don't know what you mean." The dark haired one bluffed. "You must have us mixed up with someone else."

"Oh, I doubt that. I think you know exactly what I mean." Troy looked to Baxter. "Aren't these the guys who claimed to be a part of the Rat Patrol?"

Confused, Baxter just nodded silently.

Troy returned his attention to the two privates. "We heard a few of the stories you've been telling. With your courage and experience, I'm sure we can find a place for you on our team. We tend to lose a lot of replacements so it will be a relief to get someone of your caliber. As a matter of fact, we're heading out tomorrow to take out a German radar station; you can show us how to do it."

"We can't…we have… we're already assigned to another unit Sergeant."

"Oh I think that I can arrange a transfer for you, both of you. I do have a few people who owe me favors. I'd be foolish to pass up a couple of soldiers like you." Troy spoke over his shoulder to Moffitt. "Do you think Hitch and Tully would mind if we sent these two in to photograph the battle plans instead of them? I think that the novelty has sort of worn off for them anyway."

"Sneak into a German base!" The dark haired private yelped. "That's suicide!"

"That's our job at times." Moffitt told them. "With all of your experience it ought to be a piece of cake."

"But!"

"But nothing." Troy interrupted. "You're the ones who told everyone how easy all of this was."

The two imposters sputtered and turned red. Dropping their heads they both mumbled something Troy couldn't hear.

"What?"

"We're sorry."

"You guys are idiots!" Troy growled, ignoring their apologies. "The last thing we need is someone drawing attention to us. It's hard enough to blend in without some idiot painting a bulls-eye on our backs."

"Or on yours." Moffitt added. "You do realize that by claiming to be one of us, you made yourselves targets too? The rumor that we have a price on our heads is more than just a rumor."

"What he's trying to say genius, is that the Germans are willing to pay to see us dead." Troy added in a rough growl. "Do you really want a part of that?"

"No!" both imposters cried in a rush.

"We're sorry Sergeant." The suddenly sober sounding private continued. "We heard all the stories about you guys. Then we heard that you were on base."

"We didn't think anyone would know." His buddy added. "We just wanted the new guys to look up to us. It was a harmless joke, nobody got hurt."

"Not yet." Troy amended. "But if you keep this up, somebody might."

"Understood Sergeant. No more pretending." The dark haired private promised.

"There is still the matter of Hitch and Tully?" Moffitt spoke into the stunned silence that followed the realization that the two men were imposters.

"What about them?" Troy asked suspiciously.

"Where are they?"

Troy wiped his hand across his face tiredly. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes for a moment. He asked Baxter if anyone had seen them, describing the real privates. No one remembered them. "Where do you think we should start?" He questioned Moffitt.

"Perhaps at the beginning." The Brit suggested.

This time when they knocked there was a muffled reply. Troy pushed the door open and entered. Tully and Hitch were rolled in their blankets in their cots in the darkened room.

"What's going on Sarge?" Hitch mumbled sleepily.

"How long have you two been here?" Troy demanded.

"Well," Tully drawled from his bed, "We got cleaned up and went to the mess hall. We stopped for you but you were both sleeping. We looked in and decided to let you sleep. After we ate we went for a beer."

"How many?"

"None." Hitch took over the explanation. "The bar was so crowded that we decided to forget the drink and just get some sleep."

"We checked on you on our way back but you weren't there." Tully added.

"So we came back here and went to sleep. We've been here ever since." Hitch told them. "What's wrong Sarge?"

"Nothing." Troy replied. "We checked your room and you weren't here. This base is so packed that trouble could pop up at any time. We just wanted to check on you."

"Okay." The blond accepted the explanation. "We're planning on staying right here until morning. We decided that we need a good night's rest more than we need a beer."

Troy tried to hide his smile. "Okay, see you in the morning. Meet us at the jeeps at 0830."

"Right Sarge." Hitch mumbled, tunneling deeper into his blankets.

"Night Sarge. Night Moffitt." Tully called softly as they pulled the door shut behind them.

The next morning Troy and Moffitt ate a leisurely breakfast before heading for the jeeps. To their surprise, the jeeps were empty and there was no sign of the privates. Troy glanced at his watch and noted that the time was already 0835. He looked around, expecting to see them coming. It wasn't like them to be late.

"Hey Sergeant!"

"Yeah, what is it?" Troy turned to find the mechanic from the night before running toward them.

"Two guys tried to steal your jeeps. I caught them and called the MPs. They arrested them and took them to the Captain. He wants to see you."

"The imposters again?" Moffitt asked with a frown.

"Nope," Troy grinned, "Not this time."

The Corporal took them straight into the Captain's office.

"Hello Sergeant. Did you have a relaxing afternoon yesterday?" The Captain asked them as soon as the door closed behind them.

"It was interesting." Troy answered cautiously.

"I'll bet." The Captain nodded. "I spent a good deal of my time dealing with the problems caused by your two men. A brawl that got way out of hand. Several complaints about their behavior. Now they are in the next office under arrest for trying to steal some jeeps. Don't you have enough jeeps of your own?"

"The jeeps they are accused of trying to steal were our jeeps Sir."

"Then why were they arrested for trying to steal their own jeeps?"

"It's a long story Captain" Troy offered.

The Captain took a seat at his desk and motioned for the sergeants to take seats. "I am rather busy but it might be easier if I had the whole story. Tell me everything Sergeant."

"So you see Captain," Troy finished his story, " the mechanic saw the imposters at the jeeps yesterday and thought that they were my men. Today, not knowing any different, he thought that my men were trying to steal the jeeps."

"So the imposters are not the ones who tried to steal the jeeps and your men were only taking the ones you arrived in?" The Captain tried to wrap his head around all the information he had been given.

"Yes Sir."

"Sergeant, you and your men are leaving this morning, correct?"

"That's the plan Captain. That is, as soon as I find my men." Troy nodded with a glint in his eyes.

"They are next door Sergeant. I'll have them released to you immediately." The Captain assured him.

"Then we'll be on our way Captain."

"That would be best Sergeant. My life was much less complicated before you and your men arrived. Hopefully it will return to normal once you're gone." The Captain smiled to take the sting out of his words. "Good luck Sergeant."

Troy ushered his men toward the jeeps as soon as they were released. They left with the Captain's blessing ringing in their ears.

Hitch was trying to convince Troy that they hadn't done anything wrong. The whole thing was confusing to him. "I just don't get it Sarge. Why would he think that we were imposters? Who else would want to be us?"


End file.
